WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As Hurricane Harvey continues to devastate the Houston area, a Purdue University student is doing what he can locally to help victims of the storm.

Brandon Allen, a doctoral student in youth development and agricultural education, started a donation drive this week that initially involved him setting out a simple box outside his office. It has since grown to 12 donation drop-off sites across campus and more than $1,000 raised in a matter of a few days.

"I'm from Virginia and we dealt with hurricanes ourselves, and so I understand what people need and what people go through," Allen said.

He said one hurricane closed down his high school for more than a week and left his home without electricity and running water. Allen recalled having to go to his dad's place of work to take a bath in the sink during that time.

"So, I wanted to be able to do something for these people, as well, as they battle and try to regain their lives," he said.

Allen's "BoilerUp4Houston" fundraiser is seeking clothing, toiletries, nonperishable food and other household items. Some of the suggested donations include diapers, bottled water, pet food, cleaning supplies, and used jackets, hoodies, shoes and pants that are in good condition.

He also set up a GoFundMe page where people can donate money that will be used for shipping costs. Any remaining funds will be sent to organizations throughout Houston.

The donation drive is an important aspect of the fundraiser, Allen said, because it allows people to help who might otherwise be financially strained from giving.

"I'm under the impression that no matter what your status is, if you want to help, you should be able to help," he said. "There are people who may not have cash readily available, but they have an abundance in their homes."

Allen initially put out a plastic tub to collect donations outside his office on the second floor of Purdue's Agriculture Administration Building. After he emailed friends and colleagues around the university about the drive, several people said they'd start collection sites in their departments.

Now, there are 11 additional drop-off locations, including inside these buildings:

Lawson Computer Science Building

Pfendler Hall of Agriculture, room G008

Bindley Bioscience Center

Native American Educational and Cultural Center

Smith Hall, room 119

Brees Academic Performance Center

Kurz Purdue Technology Center's human resources department

Physics Building, room 370B

Yong Hall, room 170

Felix Haas Hall, room 164

Brown Laboratory of Chemistry

He plans to send out a shipment of care packages to different shelters and organizations within the Houston area every Monday, starting Sept. 11.

Alternatively, because the donation drive has grown so much, Allen is looking into securing a semi-truck to deliver one large load of items to Houston organizations. He's seeking a semi-truck driver who can donate their time and truck to the cause.

Allen's asking anyone who would like to help with the efforts to email him at allen352@purdue.edu.

"Being able to just provide some things for (the hurricane victims) while they try to get back on their feet ... is going to be key," he said.